A 'We told you so' moment

I (and many others) have been saying that those from the far right and Christian nationalists want to destroy our Constitution. They want a Soviet style totalitarian police state where brownshirts are checking everybodies papers.
Well it is about to start. Starting next year, in some states, people will be required to show their passports to picnic in state parks.
No passport, no picnic for you Bubba.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/16/real.id/

Our mining czar.

I have to first put a disclaimer on this post. I do not believe in capital punishment for any person for any crime.
This man, Richard Stickler, was given a recess appointment by George Bush in Oct 06. He was twice passed over by Congress which was still in the hands of the republicans at that time. Even they could see that this man was a dirtbag.

About a month ago the head of China's FDA was found to be corrupt. He was given a firing squad for his efforts.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1328082.php/China_executes_top_food-and-drug_official_for_corruption__Roundup_
Now I reiterate, that no American should be given a firing squad. BUT. The heads of companies and the government employees who are supposed to giving oversight, should be held personally responsible. Sometimes accidents are no more than that, just accidents. Other times accidents are caused by negligence or just not caring. The second kind of accidents can and should be prevented.
I am not trying to place blame on the Utah mine disaster, because nobody knows yet exactly what happened.

Congratulations to Barry Bonds

You are now the all time home run king. A few things to consider about Barry Bonds.
I always heard that Ted Williams had a better command of the strike zone than any player who ever played. That might very well be true, but Ted retired the year I started following baseball, and I never got to see him play. Since then I have never seen anybody with a better command of the strike zone than Barry Bonds.
Barry seldom ever swings at a pitch that is not a strike.
With less than two strikes Barry seldom swing at a borderline pitch.
You seldom see a strike called on Barry on a check swing.
Folks, this is pure ability and nothing else.
Add to that, Barry plays half of his games in one of the toughest parks to hit home runs in.
Years ago Barry could have joined an American League club and finished his career as a DH, but chose to stay with the Giants and play leftfield.


Now that I have said all of that, the man who still wears the red cape for being the greatest home run hitter of all time is still George Herman 'Babe' Ruth, but that is another story.
I am providing no links to this story because you cand read about it on any news service.
Here is a link for people who like baseball stats.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players.shtml

The do nothing Congress

The truth instead of Rush induced fiction.

“The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail ... and so far it's working for us." —Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss. Roll Call, April 18

These people are so low on the food chain they even brag about causing problems.
In all, Senate Republicans have launched 43 filibusters in the first seven months of the Congress, on a pace to triple the previous record. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has brazenly announced that every “controversial measure” will face a filibuster in the Senate, trampling majority rule to require 60 votes to cut off the filibuster. No longer can reforms be passed on a clean up-or-down majority vote in the Senate.
Conservatives openly gloat about the strategy. As conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer put it on Fox News, “I think this will give the Republican the one opening they are going to have in 2008. Everything is running against the Republicans, but I think they have a chance if they argue that the Democrats have been in charge and they are the do-nothing Congress”.
http://commonsense.ourfuture.org/challenging_rights_obstruction_strategy

Who has, who doesn't

I have to thank the Jehovah's Witnesses for this article. It was in their May 07 Awake magazine.


The politics of hunger
By Ignacio Ramonet
Now here’s a statistic you might have missed. The total wealth of the world’s three richest individuals is greater than the combined gross domestic product (1) of the 48 poorest countries - a quarter of all the world’s states.
To satisfy all the world’s sanitation and food requirements would cost only $13 billion, hardly as much as the people of the United States and the European Union spend each year on perfume.
http://mondediplo.com/1998/11/01leader